re: "Once a person is past 30 all the degree stuff means little..."
... it is never much more than evidence that you can start and finish something.
Sometimes, that's exactly what you need. I was 35 when I got the AA (in engineering, btw), part-time in the evening at the local community college. Best way to go to school, a.f.a.i.c., is to go back to school after learning something about life.
I made a point of going to commencement -- cap, gown and all.
My "if I won the lottery" dream is to get a BS in physics and/or astronomy... even though I don't play the lottery.